Letters to the editor - July 26, 2014

Friday

Jul 25, 2014 at 11:43 PM

The legislature and the governor want to eliminate – or fatally curtail – film incentives in North Carolina. However, they also want to greatly increase cash payouts to manufacturers who decide to move to North Carolina. Conservative think tanks are calling for the elimination of tax credits, but they don't complain about cash subsidies given to manufacturers. Hypocrites and ideologues.Taxpayer money is taxpayer money – whether in the form of a tax credit or a cash payment – and jobs are jobs. A person who makes $50,000 a year in the film industry is no better or worse off than someone who makes $50,000 in another industry.Why the hypocrisy?Why doesn't the state leadership want to keep businesses that are already here in North Carolina? Why don't they care about the damage they are about to do to the economy in the Wilmington area? …The state of Georgia is about to take much of our film production, and our wonderful North Carolina politicians couldn't care less. I hope that Georgia will at least send us a thank-you vote after we give away our vibrant and growing film industry.Keep in mind that we can still vote against some of these politicians, such as Rick Catlin, in November. That is the first step toward undoing the damage that they are inflicting on the great state of North Carolina. Eric Brandon, Wilmington

In a recent letter, a reader noted the poor quality of the films produced in Wilmington and the use of tax incentives in making these films. The quality of the production is actually irrelevant as to the need for incentives, although I agree with his comment and have never found anything filmed locally worth watching; the highly acclaimed "Blue Velvet" was particularly offensive and just disgusting.We need our representatives to develop legislation to prohibit industries like the film industry from blackmailing states into competing for their business. The industry does not need the money and chooses instead to make outrageous payments to superstars, reasonable salaries to support crews, and pocket great profits partially thanks to this free money provided by competing states. If we had a law similar to the Foreign Corruption Practices Act to govern the way states compete for business, essentially disallowing financial incentives which cost all taxpayers, we could eliminate this blackmail and level the playing field. Wilmington would do very well, and in spite of inflammatory rhetoric from the film industry they won't be abandoning their local infrastructure any time soon. Incentive funding is blackmail, and the money could be better spent. Does anyone honestly believe the film industry is worthy of public largesse, or that the industry needs the money? Take a good look at the industry profits and how the money is disbursed. Ron Cerra, Wilmington

I just want to say thank you to the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners for passing a resolution opposing the resettling of illegal aliens into the United States, and North Carolina in particular. The impact of thousands of school-age minors will have an adverse effect on our school districts' budgets, public health and safety. I, for one, am sick and tired of paying taxes that go toward illegal aliens and not American children, the sick, the poor and our senior citizens. And to my liberal friends who disagree, you have the right to adopt as many of these children as you can pay for. …John M. Comparetto, Ocean Isle Beach

The July 19 front-page story "Atlantic opened to oil exploration" was disturbing.First, we should be getting off fossil fuels – not looking for more. To naysayers who claim that it will take decades to bring renewable energy up to our needs, Germany is already generating 74 percent of its energy from renewable resources, and is aiming for 100 percent by 2050. Second, what if explorers of the Atlantic Coast find oil? Diving into the Gulf of Mexico 50 years before the BP oil spill, I found its waters disgustingly murky even then. Offshore drilling would destroy not only our personal pleasure in our clean beaches and ocean, but the tourist industry as well. Third, the National Resource Defense Council believes the use of airguns ("cannons") in seismic surveying may have the same effect on marine life as sonar. … (Among other things) seismic surveys can cause marine animals hearing loss that compromises their ability to communicate and to survive.The underwater noise of airgun pulses seriously affects commercial fishing as well. …Suzy T. Kane, Wilmington